fawn

fawn
I. intransitive verb Etymology: Middle English faunen, from Old English fagnian to rejoice, from fægen, fagan glad — more at fain Date: 13th century 1. to show affection — used especially of a dog 2. to court favor by a cringing or flattering manner • fawner noun • fawningly adverb Synonyms: fawn, toady, truckle, cringe, cower mean to behave abjectly before a superior. fawn implies seeking favor by servile flattery or exaggerated attention <
waiters fawning over a celebrity
>. toady suggests the attempt to ingratiate oneself by an abjectly menial or subservient attitude <
toadying to his boss
>. truckle implies the subordination of oneself and one's desires or judgment to those of a superior <
truckling to a powerful lobbyist
>. cringe suggests a bowing or shrinking in fear or servility <
a cringing sycophant
>. cower suggests a display of abject fear in the company of threatening or domineering people <
cowering before a bully
>. II. noun Etymology: Middle English foun, from Anglo-French feun, foon young of an animal, from Vulgar Latin *feton-, feto, from Latin fetus offspring — more at fetus Date: 14th century 1. a young deer; especially one still unweaned or retaining a distinctive baby coat 2. kid 1 3. a light grayish brown • fawny adjective

New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую
Synonyms:
, , , , , , , , , ,


Look at other dictionaries:

  • fawn — vb Fawn, toady, truckle, cringe, cower are comparable when they mean to act or behave with abjectness in the presence of a superior. Fawn implies a courting of favor by such acts of a sycophant as servile flattery and exaggerated deference {they… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • Fawn — Fawn, n. [OF. faon the young one of any beast, a fawn, F. faon a fawn, for fedon, fr. L. fetus. See {Fetus}.] 1. (Zo[ o]l.) A young deer; a buck or doe of the first year. See {Buck}. [1913 Webster] 2. The young of an animal; a whelp. [Obs.] [1913 …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Fawn — Fawn, a. Of the color of a fawn; fawn colored. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • fawn — ‘young deer’ [14] and fawn ‘grovel’ [13] are two distinct words. The latter did not always have the negative associations of ‘servility’ which it usually carries today. Originally it simply referred to dogs showing they were happy – by wagging… …   The Hutchinson dictionary of word origins

  • fawn — ‘young deer’ [14] and fawn ‘grovel’ [13] are two distinct words. The latter did not always have the negative associations of ‘servility’ which it usually carries today. Originally it simply referred to dogs showing they were happy – by wagging… …   Word origins

  • fawn on — ˈfawn over ˈfawn on [transitive] [present tense I/you/we/they fawn over he/she/it fawns over present participle fawning over past tens …   Useful english dictionary

  • Fawn — Fawn, v. i. [Cf. F. faonner.] To bring forth a fawn. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Fawn — Fawn, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Fawned}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Fawning}.] [OE. fawnen, fainen, fagnien, to rejoice, welcome, flatter, AS. f[ae]gnian to rejoice; akin to Icel. fagna to rejoice, welcome. See {Fain}.] To court favor by low cringing, frisking …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • fawn — fawn·ing·ly; fawn; fawn·ing·ness; …   English syllables

  • Fawn — Fawn, n. A servile cringe or bow; mean flattery; sycophancy. Shak. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • fawn — [n] baby deer baby buck, baby doe, yearling; concepts 394,400 fawn [v] ingratiate oneself to; serve abase, apple polish*, be at beck and call*, be obsequious, be servile, blandish, bow, brownnose*, buddy up*, butter up*, cajole, cater to, cave in …   New thesaurus

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”